My senior internship for psychology was spent over the summer in Salem at Shangri-La. Shangri-La a non-profit organization that provides warmhearted homes, various support services, and skill-learning jobs for adult individuals with intellectual | developmental disabilities. It all started in the early 1960s, when fifteen families with children with special needs purchased and converted a farmhouse into several classrooms for their children to learn. This is where Shangri-La began, a privately funded and volunteer run school. At the time, this was the families’ best opportunity to ensure their children with developmental disabilities were cared for and safely learning. Over years of continued public, private, and local support, Shangri-La is